Eric Ward, known affectionately as “Link Moses,” passed away on Monday, October 16, 2017, at the age of 58.
Eric was a trailblazer in the field, being the first person I encountered who called himself a “link builder.” I attended his first comprehensive talk on the subject at a Search Engine Strategies conference back in 2000. His influence on the industry and his contributions to the practice of link building were monumental—not just at our events and publications, but across the entire search marketing community. His passing is a profound loss of a thoughtful, knowledgeable, and generous friend and colleague.
I reached out to other veterans in the search industry to share their memories of Eric:
Danny Sullivan reminisced, “I’ll never forget that when I first asked for voluntary subscriptions for my search site in 1996, Eric was the first to send a check. That was the kind of person he was, always supporting others. He was a pioneer in digital marketing who taught many. He knew how to build links the right way, from great sources, and shared his wisdom widely and kindly. We will all deeply miss him.”
Debra Mastaler shared, “When I entered the search industry in 2000, Eric and I started communicating via email almost immediately. We didn’t meet in person until 2003 on a link building panel. Over the years, we did numerous link building sessions together, but I always remember that first panel as it initiated a conversation that lasted all these years. Often, one of us would call with a question or idea or just to say hello. Conversations with Eric often transitioned from links to family; if he loved anything more than his work, it was talking about his children. He was a proud father, and our Skype conversations will be sorely missed, my old friend, peace.”
Julie Joyce remarked, “I have zero memories of being involved with link building without knowing who Eric Ward was. He was there from the start, and despite differing approaches to links, I greatly respected him as a pioneer. Anyone in the link-building community unfamiliar with his name hasn’t been paying attention. He will be greatly missed by the industry.”
Rae (Hoffman) Dolan commented, “Eric and I first met on a panel at PubCon. At the time, I was new to speaking, and Eric was a veteran. Although we slightly disagreed during the Q&A session, he reassured me afterward, appreciating my enthusiasm and encouraging me to continue challenging myself and others. These words stayed with me. Over the years, he contributed to my ‘Link Building with the Experts’ series with lengthy, in-depth answers, always keen to offer actionable insights. He was a pioneer in this field, and we were fortunate to have known him. He will be missed.”
For more information on how to share your memories of Eric with his family, further details are available.
